February 9, 1999

'BABY BILLS' COMING?; FEDS MAY BREAK UP MICROSOFT

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Justice Department, believing it is winning its antitrust case against Microsoft Corp., is already planning to seek tough remedies against the software giant, including the possible...

PROOF JUNK BONDS ARE HEADED FOR A COMEBACK

IN their hunger for equities and stock mutual funds, most investors have been ignoring the bond market. But that's about to change. U.S. Treasury bonds are offering the best yields...

STREET SAYS BULL TO BEARISH RALPH

Bullish investors trampled on bearish market calls by three prominent Wall Street strategists - including Ralph "Mr. Dow 10,000" Acampora. Prudential Securities' Acampora, who predicted a 5- to 10-percent correction,...

MUSICIAN MAG GETS THE AX

Musician magazine has strummed its last chord.BPI Communications is suspending publication of the 21-year-old money-losing monthly, The Post has learned. "It had good writers who understood artists," said John Babcock,...

'STAR WARS' TOYS UNDER WRAPS AT TOY FAIR

It was easier to infiltrate the Death Star than it is to get a peek at "Star Wars" merchandise at this year's Toy Fair. Toy giant Hasbro is keeping all...

IS KURT KING OF COMEDY? ; COMEDY CENTRAL EYES PRINT GUY AS ITS CEO

Magazine columnist Kurt Andersen is in the running to head Comedy Central, the cable-TV channel that once booted him as a talk show host. Though his fame is in print,...

EISNER HOPES CHINA DEAL LEADS TO 'MULAN' MOOLAH

Disney CEO Eisner said the time may be right for a Disney attraction in China.Michael Eisner has won approval from the Chinese government to show Disney Co.'s animated movie "Mulan"...

MAGS TAKING STEPS TO AVERT REGULATION

The magazine industry plans to spank its tarnished sweepstakes subscriptions industry itself before the government steps in to regulate it with fines and red tape. Publishers have come under fire...

TRAVELER'S UPDATE

By George! Next Monday's holiday honors George Washington's birthday and also kicks off a new exhibition at Mount Vernon, Washington's Virginia retreat. The mansion has been painstakingly furnished to closely...

'METASEXUAL' HEALING

*METASEXUAL Joydrop Tommy BoyWith 14 propulsive songs, featuring provocative lyrics, turbocharged guitars and enough electronic ticks to satisfy any modern music fan, Joydrop's debut disc comes off as smart rock...

WHISTLER STOP:THE MEGA-RESORT IN BRITISH COLUMBIA IS BIG, CHEAP AND CHALLENGING - AND THE SNOW IS DEEP AND PLENTIFUL

ABSTRACT: Masses of snow and a cheap Canadian dollar are two very good reasons to ski Whistler this year..... But the two mountains have maintained their distinct personalities. Whistler is...

TV TICKER

NBC's net gain NBC's first NBA telecast of the '99 season scored solid numbers on Sunday. The Knicks-Heat game, which began at 1 p.m., notched a 5.1 rating (3.1 million...

MEL IS SWELL!

T HE weekend's big score was 55 to 45. The Knicks at the half? Nah. It was the male-female split at screenings of "Payback" - the critically panned actioner that...

CELEBRITY STALKERS WHO SHOOT TO THRILL

"Inside Story: Shooting Stars: The Paparazzi" Tonight at 9 on A&E TONIGHT'S "Inside Story" doesn't present much of an argument to move paparazzi up the media food chain. Indeed, there...

'BAYWATCH' TELLS AUSSIES: YOU PAY, WE'LL SAY G'DAY ; BUT BEACH TOWN SAYS YANKEES, STAY HOME

'BAYWATCH" is asking the Australian government to shell out millions to say "g'day" to the hit show. "Baywatch" is planning to move its base of operations from sunny Malibu, Calif....

WALTERS HOPES TO GET LEWINSKY THIS WEEK

BARBARA Walters believes she could conduct her exclusive ABC interview with Monica Lewinsky as early as this week. Now that Lewinsky's videotaped testimony has appeared in the Senate's impeachment trial...

LIQUOR GROUPS QUEASY OVER CALL FOR HEALTH WARNINGS ON ALCOHOL TV ADS

'We are very serious about this. We are very concerned about underage drinking.' - Treasury Counsel Edward Knight. ADVERTISING officials are steaming at a government proposal that beer and wine...

SILVER MINE IS ALL PLAYED OUT

Theater Review NICKY Silver is a one-joke comic playwright. The joke is that monstrous mothers make screwed-up gay sons. It's a pretty stale notion, and Silver's variations on his theme...

INSIDE OUSTED UNION BIG'S 'HIGH' LIFE ; DOORMEN'S DUES PAID FOR THIS PENTHOUSE

The penthouse offices where high-paid labor leader Gus Bevona ruled the doormen's union with an iron fist was a lavish lair complete with closed-circuit TVs for spying on building employees....

BICKERING PUSHES KOSOVO TALKS TO BRINK

A last-ditch effort was under way today to save the Kosovo peace talks, which teetered on the brink of collapse as hard-nosed Serb and Albanian negotiators tried to torpedo the...

SAVVY YOUNG QUEEN POISED TO LEAD - PALESTINIAN ROOTS A POLITICAL PLUS

The smooth transition from King Hussein to his son Abdullah will be matched as Jordan's new Queen Rania takes over from Queen Noor, experts say. Rania, who at age 28...

TOP EXEC BUSTED IN JUROR FUROR

A furious Texas judge busted the senior boss of a Fortune 500 company for firing a worker who refused to skip jury duty. Jennifer Sutton, an executive assistant at Affiliated...

'JR.' TURNS DOWN DEAL WITH FEDS

John A. ''Junior'' Gotti has passed on the feds' latest plea offer, The Post has learned. The deal, put on the table about two weeks ago, would have put Gotti...

RUDY-PATAKI RUMBLE GETS UGLY AS POLS' PALS JUMP IN

The political war between Gov. Pataki and Mayor Giuliani flared on three fronts yesterday, even as Pataki said he was ready to seek "common ground" with the mayor. An angry...

GAMBLING IS HIS 'HANDICAP,' SO HE SUES TRACK

Meadowlands announcer John Bothe - a recovering gambling addict - is suing the track for ordering him to host a handicapping show that he claims would push him back to...

TRIAL OPENS FOR MARINE PILOT IN SKI TRAGEDY

The court-martial trial of the U.S. Marine flier involved in last year's Italian cable-car disaster opened yesterday, with charges that the pilot ignored orders to keep a safe altitude -...

NEW OWNER OF MAC'S BALL TAKES MASK OFF

The mystery telephone bidder who paid $3 million for slugger Mark McGwire's historic 70th home-run ball stepped up to the plate yesterday and revealed his identity. Todd McFarlane, creator of...

VATICAN KILLER HAD BRAIN CYST

A Swiss Guard accused in a vicious double-murder at the Vatican last year was a marijuana smoker with a cyst on his brain that may have altered his personality, investigators...

BROOKLYN DA HYNES WON'T LET SLEEPING DOCS LIE

Brooklyn hospital bosses were put on notice yesterday they might be handcuffed and hauled off to jail if a patient dies because doctors work extra-long shifts. Responding to an article...

CRACKS IN SUBWAY TRAINS COULD CAUSE DERAILMENT; EXCLUSIVE

Transit officials have discovered an alarming number of cracks in a key component of subway cars - a defect that authorities fear could cause derailments, The Post has learned. The...

CHILDLESS PAIR MULLS A CLONE OF THEIR OWN

"Whether . . . technology could produce a child . . . genetically identical to me, that's really not the issue - it's a child."PETER BLACKBURN A childless British couple...

$4 A DOZEN AT DISCOUNT PETAL PUSHERS

Cost-cutting Casanovas yesterday insisted the cheapo roses they can buy at delis and outdoor stands work just as well as pricier petals when it comes to impressing their sweethearts on...

2 MORE SCRIBES FINGER SIDNEY ON SMEARS

WASHINGTON - Clinton aide Sidney Blumenthal faced a growing storm yesterday as two more journalists signed affidavits suggesting he lied under oath when he denied smearing Monica Lewinsky. That makes...

COP SHOOTS HIS GAL PAL: POLICE

A rookie city cop was charged with attempted murder after he shot a young female police recruit during a lover's squabble in The Bronx early yesterday, police said. Artemio Neri,...

HYDE TELLS SENATE CENSURE WOULD BE COWARD'S WAY OUT

WASHINGTON - Rep. Henry Hyde urged senators yesterday to convict President Clinton of impeachment charges and shun the most appealing alternative - a censure vote that leaves him in office....

LIDDY DOLE TESTS N.H. PRESIDENTIAL WATERS ; DECRIES 'TARNISH' ON WHITE HOUSE

WASHINGTON - Potential 2000 Republican contender Elizabeth Dole presented herself to politically potent New Hampshire last night as the antidote to Sexgate and a "tarnished" presidency. "There's been a little...

BX.-SLAY COPS BACK ON JOB

Three of the four cops implicated in the deadly shooting of an unarmed West African immigrant returned to work yesterday - armed with their guns and badges. The fourth officer,...

OPRAH GETS SLEAZE-SICK - DISGUST AT SPRINGER'S 'VULGARITY CIRCUS' MAY MAKE HER QUIT TALK SHOW

Oprah Winfrey has blasted sleazemeister Jerry Springer for turning daytime talk into a cesspool - and says he may force her to abandon her show out of disgust. Winfrey exploded...

LOTT: PROBE REPORTS WHITE HOUSE TAPED BILL'S SEXGATE CALLS; LOTT ASKING IF WHITE HOUSE RECORDED CALLS

WASHINGTON - In an 11th-hour surprise, Senate GOP leader Trent Lott has drafted a letter asking Sexgate prober Kenneth Starr to check if there's a White House taping system that...

NEIGHBORS PAWS TO RIP TIGER LADY

Snarlin'-mad neighbors took on the "Tiger Lady" in a township meeting last night - demanding she be forced to shut down her 17-tiger preserve. "We've had trouble with her since...

TYSON HAS SHOT AT BEING LET OUT ON FIGHT NIGHTS

Mike Tyson could be allowed out of jail temporarily to train - and even fight - while he serves his one-year sentence for assault in Maryland, it was reported today....

PAMPERED PUPS A BREED APART: MIGHT BE LED DOWN GARDEN PATH TO GLORY

It might not rank up there with, say, the U.S. Open, but then again, few tennis fans can be found swapping pictures of their dogs. That was the type of...

FORDHAM HOOP TEAM PUTS FAITH IN ROBIN

Bevon Robin will play in the NBA. Although the odds might be against the Fordham point guard, there is no use questioning him. Robin has already bucked the odds so...

ISLANDERS' POWER UNIT DESPERATE FOR JUICE

Barry Richter might return to the Islanders tonight when they host Washington. Kenny Jonsson is expected back Friday against Nashville. Maybe by then, with their two pointmen manning the blue...

DEVILS HAVE SHOT AT GILMOUR ENCORE

Those No. 93 Devil jerseys might not be obsolete after all, if GM Lou Lamoriello moves quickly. The Devils have been struggling to make up for the loss of Doug...

CAMBY ASKED OUT AFTER FIVE MINUTES

KNICK NOTES Charles Oakley fanatics are advised not to read on. The following story and comments by Jeff Van Gundy may cause health difficulties for you. The man who was...

TIM CLOSE TO LANDING YANKEE GIG

"He's been critical of me. But that makes no difference, he's one of the best."GEORGE STEINBRENNER ON TIM McCARVER Channel 5 is closing in on hiring Tim McCarver to jump...

SEAVER CAN'T RELY ON PAST TO CARRY HIM

Bottom line: If Seaver is boring in the booth, viewers will tune out and won't care how many games he won for the Mets. THE OBJECTIVITY police put Tom Seaver...

GERMANY'S IN TAILSPIN BUT SYMPATHY'S SCARCE

Germany's problems self-inflicted LONDON - Champion of the world at the start of the Nineties, Germany ends the decade in serious decline, and - after suffering the almost unthinkable in...

BERRIEL'S A TOP-CLASS RUNNER

While most high school seniors are anxious about college admission, William Berriel probably doesn't need to worry. He carries a 3.58 grade-point average at Regis High in Manhattan, one of...

COREY VOWS REVENGE AFTER GIANT RELEASE

Corey Miller can envision a time next football season when he is lined up against the Giants, seeking not only a tackle, but also retribution and a chance to stick...

VEXED VAN: WINS MUST START NOW

"Of course, we sense more urgency because we have lost two. I don't think we have pushed the panic button."ALLAN HOUSTON This abbreviated season is not a marathon; it is...

TERRIFIC TUTOR ; APODACA WELCOMES SEAVER'S ASSISTANCE

"Tom is the greatest pitcher I've ever seen. He has so much to offer. We would be foolish not to ask him for some help."BOB APODACA Over the past two...

PIRATES' CAPTAIN: 'WE'VE HIT BOTTOM'

Once upon a time - not that long ago, as a matter of fact - Seton Hall was among the hottest teams in the Big East, and the Pirates were...

'GEN X' IS BEST RX FOR RANGERS

AT this time one season ago, the Rangers were a dysfunctional team with a defeatist attitude that had all but tuned out Colin Campbell's consistently sour critiques. Now, the attitude...

JARVIS WON'T GRANT WISH

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - Tyrone Grant can smell it. But he can't taste it. Not yet. Not until Saturday, when St. John's plays Villanova at the Garden. The senior forward...

FOLEY HOPING DRAFT JUMP-STARTS CAREER

Glenn Foley's football life could change forever in the flash of a Cleveland Browns' expansion pick today. And, as much as Foley has craved success in New York as a...

SETON HALL CHUCKS ITS LOSING STREAK

Seton Hall 77 Pittsburgh 61 In the midst of their worst losing streak since the 1995-96 season and their worst injury string in recent memory, the Seton Hall Pirates had...

SPREE-FOR-ALL LATRELL RECALLS P.J. MESS - AND HOW HE GOT KNICKS TO GIVE HIM SECOND CHANCE.

The Post's Peter Vecsey went one on one last week with troubled but talented Knick star Latrell Sprewell. Vecsey has been ahead of the pack in covering Sprewell's infamous choking...